


Pledge

by OracleEther



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 21:04:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16920336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OracleEther/pseuds/OracleEther
Summary: "I ask that you show the Hoshidan mercy."





	Pledge

_"Let him go."_

Corrin held her hand to her own throat, watching as the wood-fingers of the spell-grown tree from Brynhildr made it difficult for the man to crane his neck. The branches creaked and squeezed, its grip growing stronger from the magic that coursed under the glowing bark. The man ensnared forced his gaze on to her, his eyes opened wide and his mouth worked to speak.

Leo lifted his hand to the ground, leaving his palm open and a section of cragged earth had been pulled up at his command. He balanced the two different spells in both hands. Corrin rushed between Leo and the tree that held the other man in its bramble.

"Corrin?" Leo jerked his head in the hope that it would draw her aside. "Get out of the way."

"No," Corrin kept her place, bringing her arms up to act as a shield. "Leo, please. I ask that you show the Hoshidan mercy."

"You're begging that I show mercy for a killer? His objective may have been for Father's life," said Leo. "And if his target wasn't him? It would have been your life, Camilla's or Elise's that he desired to take." Leo's mouth thinned as he swallowed and paled. "Xander would never look me in the eyes again if anything ever happened to the three of you."

"And if I, as your sister, never speak to you again?" Corrin asked. "Just for your choice to kill a man in cold blood." She continued when Leo gibbered at her. "You would be a hypocrite, when the one poised to take a life is you, not him."

"You were always too soft," he sighed, the sound coming more like a breath of relief over his usual exasperation. "Fine, then. Sister," Leo dispersed his spell's magic and the tree cracked and loosened the unconscious man to the floor. "but he is still an enemy in our country's walls."

\--

Corrin shut the door to her chamber, leaning her face against the surface. Her thoughts twisted in her head at what to do now. The guards appeared to have bought the intruder's belongings up, per her request.

She began rifling through what little the man carried after up-ending the bag; a single, if oddly shaped, blade. Some food rations, a circle shaped crest with points that were aimed in the main compass directions and there was another pendant, one more heavy and finely crafted, as a blue jewel was placed in its center.

Corrin held the piece in her palms, blinking when it glimmered and wrapped around her with a soothing light. The echo of rushing water emanated from the necklace, calming her mind from the storm inside it.

"For something so beautiful," Corrin muttered, bringing the pendant up to her eyes before she placed the chain around her neck and slipping it under her dress' collar. "I expected you to do something a little more remarkable... What should I do?"

Corrin knew that all had bought for the Hoshidan captive was time. Time she had to bide and wait to not cause suspicion. Camilla and Elise confirmed their success in sneaking the woman from the Fire Tribe out of the castle.

Staring angrily at the walls of her lavished room, Corrin assumed the outsider was doing the same in his prison cell. Pacing in that small prison, the clicks of his chains rustling at his wrists and feet. The sound of dry wind that seeped and pushed through the cracks and gaps in the brickwork.

Perhaps it granted the Hoshidan time to curse his own luck that she decided to save him. It certainly gave her time to curse her own foolishness in the decision of her letting him live and also to rot.

\--

His cell had no bedroll and the ground he slept on was the same as the rest of the castle; hard stone, pebbled like that of a dried river bed. Standing up, Kaze made sure to not walk the length of his binding chain that secured his ankle. He jerked his bound leg from habit, dearly missing his lockpick tools.

He then heard the door open from the floor above and someone's accompanying footsteps that echoed. There was no armor that moved in rhythm with the person's steps; whoever approached was no guard, but that of someone wearing boots.

The princess he had seen months ago stepped toward him. In her moving closer, Kaze blinked, staring, perhaps a bit wide-eyed, at seeing the key in her hand. She had yet to open it for him. Her red eyes were furrowed thin in her glare, an odd light caused them to briefly shine in the half-dark of the prison.

"You will thank me, Hoshidan," she snarled. "I bargained for your life from my father. You're of better use to us alive over your being another corpse on the pile that we spend limited resources on to burn."

Kaze had seen people like this, ones who possessed a temper. Yet, as he thought longer of it, the Nohrian Princess' temper was colder, composed but more ruthless and as wild as a storming ocean's waves.

"Princess, why would you rescue me, now?" He asked, understanding the tongue common with Nohrians. "It has been months. You should have left me to die down here."

"Are you mocking my kindness?" she responded, frowning at him. "Our people are enemies, but I have no reason to want you dead."

Kaze hesitated and he approached closer to the cell bars. His heart began to beat faster on the inside of his chest, almost painfully so. The memory and distant noise of arrows whistling around him and a scream and sound of a young boy's screams and a younger girl's crying echoed out to him from years passed.

"Princess," Kaze asked, his voice trembling. "Do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" The princess placed the key into the slot, twisting it with a motion.

"Nothing, milady," he lied, watching as she opened the door for him.

\--

"What is all this?"

Corrin stood in awe, seeing the gathered inventory boxes of fresh produce. Kaze held a box in his arms, that was one filled with more vegetables.

"This is thanks to Prince Leo, milady," said Kaze. "I merely offered my help when it came to tending and healing the soil."

"So that was where you were sneaking off to," said Corrin, reaching her hand into a box to pick out a round tomato. "Of course Leo would be sure to grow these..." She laughed, putting it back. "Kaze, this is wonderful!"

"Thank you, princess, but I was merely doing my part," Kaze placed the box on the table with the rest of the inventory.

"Your part?" Corrin repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Do I not have a role to serve?" he asked. "You did fight to have my life spared when your father ordered that I be put to death."

"You make my motive sound naïve and innocent," said Corrin. "I meant what I said, cruel though it was. You were better alive to us, that you might serve a purpose."

"I am another mouth to feed," Kaze countered gently. "Another body to clothe," He plucked at his tunic with his fingers. "I am an outsider and a prisoner, but if I am to have another purpose in a land not of my birth, so be it."

"You would help feed those who have gone hungry for so long?" Corrin asked. "Those who call for war and violence, stealing whatever they can from others, just to selfishly preserve themselves?"

"The desire to live and provide is not selfish. And yes," Kaze nodded. "Where there is food and plants to harvest, there are animals for hunters to hunt. Pelts and other things for trade. This is what Nohr needs, Corrin. Life over Death." He gave a low exhale, bringing his hand to his own tense shoulder. "Some may not--they will not--agree with the sentiment, and they may not even agree that I, as a Hoshidan, are trying to offer them help, but I will press on in your service, regardless of the ill they may bear me. I have made the choice to pledge myself to you."

"I am worthy to have your pledge, Kaze," said Corrin, and she placed her hand to rest on his arm as she smiled. "Thank you."

**Author's Note:**

> Commission for lazulines from twitter/tumblr. Ported over from tumblr. Originally written on March 9th, 2016.


End file.
